Ep. 30: Guest Corey Bruce - Must-Haves for Sales Leaders in 2025

This Week's Episode:In this episode of 'Software Sales Simplified: MOVE to Success', hosts Kevin and Matt speak with Corey Bruce, a seasoned software sales leader. They explore sales leadership, building team trust, and hiring challenges. Corey shares his career journey, stressing empathy in leadership and the importance of understanding metrics without losing sight of people. They also address the pitfalls of unrealistic expectations and the value of a supportive company culture.About our Guest - Corey Bruce:Corey Bruce, MBA, is a transformational executive and private equity growth partner with over two decades of leadership in scaling revenue operations for high-growth, private equity–backed companies in the EHS, SaaS, and Compliance as a Service (CaaS) sectors. He led the U.S. market entry for Donesafe, an Australian safety tech startup, driving its growth through acquisition by HSI/Waud Capital Partners, and has held senior roles at StarTex Software (EHS Insight) and HSI/Donesafe. As Founder of Sozo Advisors, LLC, Corey advises private equity investors and portfolio companies on due diligence, acquisition strategy, board advisory, and revenue acceleration across compliance and regulatory tech.Presently the Chief Executive Office (CEO) for SafetyIQ, Corey is renowned for aligning sales execution with investment strategy, Corey has built global sales organizations delivering 30%+ year-over-year growth and securing enterprise partnerships with Lowe’s, Apple, Tesla, Walmart, and Uber. He has partnered with leading private equity firms including Broadview Group Holdings, Blackstone, Providence Equity Partners, and Susquehanna Growth Equity, consistently driving scalability, operational rigor, and long-term enterprise value creation.How to Find out More About Corey:You can find Corey's profile on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreybruce/Chapters00:00 Introduction02:54 Corey Bruce's Journey05:08 The Importance of Trust and Risk in Leadership08:18 Navigating Leadership Challenges11:15 Building a Culture of Accountability14:06 Hiring Challenges in Software Sales17:06 The Complexity of the Interview Process19:48 The Role of Fractional Consulting in Hiring24:42 The Challenges of Hiring Fractional Leadership28:06 The Risks of Rapid Hiring Decisions30:47 Hiring for Attitude Over Skills34:58 Navigating Pressure from Leadership39:08 The Importance of Metrics in Business42:19 Humanizing Business Interactions46:11 Advice for New C-Level Executives51:43 See you next week!About Software Sales Simplified:Visit us at:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.strategicsalesoptimization.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on Linkedin:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/2tcx7mjx⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send us your questions at ⁠- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"What is a Sales Engineer?" - Education Series on YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxuHbkRfIWtVj_Hg1GYBIg-o5M-icJLn0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Your Copy of "Winning Faster"!Available Here:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.strategicsalesoptimization.com/move-book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Why Listen to Software Sales Simplified?Make Software Sales Simplified: MOVE to Success, your go-to podcast for mastering enterprise software sales through authentic customer engagement and actionable consulting insights. Join us for each episode as we break down proven strategies and real-world experiences to help you build trust, close deals, and drive long-term success along your Enterprise Software Sales or Consulting journey.Copyrighted Broadcast:Thank you for tuning in to Software Sales Simplified: MOVE to Success. This podcast is produced by and is the sole property of Strategic Sales Optimization LLC, copyright 2025. Reproduction or use of this broadcast in whole or in part without express written permission from Strategic Sales Optimization LLC is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.